Can a Christian be a Salesman? What Does the Bible Say? by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2014, all rights reserved. Chapter 1 From the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version-- ___Proverbs chapter 2 1 My son, if you'll receive my words, and hide my commandments with you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding, 3 Yes, if you call after knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her like for silver, and search for her like for hidden treasures, 5 Then you'll understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom, out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. 7 He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous, he is a buckler to those who walk uprightly. 8 He keeps the paths of justice, and preserves the way of his saints. 9 Then you'll understand righteousness, and justice, and equity, yes every good path. 10 When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 11 Discretion shall preserve you, understanding shall keep you, 12 To give you deliverance from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaks perverse things, 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness, 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of the wicked, 15 Whose ways are crooked, and perverse in their paths, 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, from the stranger who flatters with her words, 17 Who forsakes the guide of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God. 18 For her house inclines to death, and her paths to the dead. 19 No one that goes to her escapes, nor do they take hold of the paths of life. 20 So that you'll walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright shall live in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be uprooted from it. ___Proverbs chapter 3 1 My son, don't forget my law, but let your heart keep my commandments, 2 For they shall add length of days to you, and long life, and peace. 3 Don't let mercy and truth forsake you, tie them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 That's how you'll find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don't lean to your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he'll direct your paths. 7 Don't be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and go away from evil. 8 It shall be health to your navel, and marrow to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your substance, and with the first fruits of all your increase, 10 Then your barns shall be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine. 11 My son, don't despise the punishment of the Lord, and don't be weary of his correction, 12 For whom the Lord loves, he corrects, like a father corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain of it than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you can desire are not to be compared to her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her, and happy is everyone that retains her. 19 By wisdom, the Lord has founded the earth, by understanding he has established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. 21 My son, don't let them depart from your eyes, keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they'll be life to your soul, and grace to your neck. 23 Then you'll walk in your way safely, and your foot won't stumble. 24 When you lie down, you won't be afraid, yes, you'll lie down, and your sleep shall be sweet. 25 Don't be afraid of sudden fear, nor of the desolation of the wicked when it comes. 26 For the Lord shall be your confidence, and shall keep your foot from being taken. 27 Don't withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it's in the power of your hand to do it. 28 Don't say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back later, and tomorrow I will give, when you already have it." 29 Don't devise evil against your neighbor, since he lives securely near you. 30 Don't strive with a man without a reason, if he's done you no harm. 31 Don't envy the oppressor, and don't choose any of his ways. 32 For the perverse person is a dirty thing to the Lord, but his secret is with the righteous. 33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling place of the just. 34 Surely he scorns the scorners, but he gives grace to the lowly. 35 The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the repayment for fools. ___Proverbs chapter 4 1 Hear the instruction of a father, you children, and pay attention to getting understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, don't forsake my law. 3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said to me, "Let your heart retain my words, keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding, don't forget it, and don't decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Don't forsake her, and she'll preserve you; love her, and she'll keep you. 7 Wisdom is the main thing, therefore get wisdom, and with all your getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she'll promote you, she'll bring you to honor when you embrace her. 9 She'll put an ornament of grace on your head, she'll deliver to you a crown of glory. 10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life shall be many. Chapter 2 Most businesses have a Sales department. Of course, with a retail store, the products are on display. The customer can pick what they want and go to the cash register to pay. Still, sometimes a customer will have a question that needs to be answered, "If I buy this cell phone, do I have to enter into a contract with the service provider?" Some stores have more valuable merchandise that is kept in glass cases. A salesperson will help the prospective customer, and answer any questions. Manufacturers have Sales departments to move the merchandise out. It's no good manufacturing products without customers to buy those products. Businesses have expenses. You have rent to pay, for the number of square feet of space that you're using, or a mortgage to pay if you're buying the building. And then, property taxes. There are the utilities to pay: the electricity, the water, the gas. A business has employees whose wages must be paid. The Janitor. The Forklift Driver, and so forth. A business won't stay in business very long unless there's money coming into the business. You either sell a product or you sell a service. You need customers to be paying. The way to make sure that's happening is the Sales department. They get on the phone and drum up business. Or they go out to the prospective customer's place of business and sell there. Salesmen often make pretty good money, if they're good at it. But because sales are so important to any business, there can be a lot of pressure on the salesmen. Salesmen work for a Sales Manager. And that Sales Manager expects his sales people to meet certain sales goals. If you fall short of the sales goal, you're probably going to get a talking to. If you fall behind the sales goal for several months, there is the possibility that they'll hire a replacement instead of you. So then, being a Salesman can be a rather high pressure job. In an effort to meet your sales goal, you'll be tempted to make some misrepresentations. You'll be tempted to lie. You'll be tempted to promise what you can't deliver. Because you'd like to meet your sales goal. Because your wife hopes you'll earn enough to pay the rent. So then, I believe the job of Salesman is a job where those doing it will have an almost daily temptation to lie. In my youth, I found that some of the "girly" magazines were a temptation for me. Young men are normally interested in women's bodies. I sought the Lord about it, and he answered me. He said, "You're just going to have to stay away from it." Similarly, it might be best to stay away from sales positions because of the almost daily temptation to lie. I considered going into working as a Salesman myself, but decided not to do so for that very reason that Salesmen will be pressured to lie to make the sale. One time I purchased a car from a used car lot. I said, "If I buy this car, I want you to provide me with a manual for the car." The Salesman said he would. They sent me something in the mail. But it was not a manual for the car, it was just a brochure describing cars like that. So he lied. Why did he lie to me? Because he wanted to make the sale. If he didn't make his sales goal, he'd catch flack from his Sales Manager, and his take home pay probably wouldn't have been as much, since Salesmen generally work at least partly on commission. Some of them work entirely on commission. Your commission percentage on zero sales is zero commission. And the Bible says, "All liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone." (Rev 21:8) Stong's Greek Dictionary, in the Power Bible, says that brimstone is sulphur. We did an experiment in college chemistry lab that involved the heating of sulphur. Sulphur makes a terrible stink when it gets hot, and I'm told it can give you a nasty burn if you get any of it on you. Please notice that it doesn't say "most liars." No, it says "all liars." In Chapter 1 of this book scriptures from the Book of Proverbs, right about in the middle of the Bible, talk about the importance of wisdom. Proverbs 4:5,6 says: "Get wisdom, get understanding, don't forget it, and don't decline from the words of my mouth. Don't forsake her, and she'll preserve you; love her, and she'll keep you." With the knowledge that wisdom is very important for us to apply in our lives, is it really wise to be employed in the vocation of Salesman, where you run the almost daily risk of winding up in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone? It seems to me very unwise. And there are so many other legitimate vocations. While I was still a teenager, I joined the Navy. I knew ahead of time that they would send me to Electronics Technician school. That was part of the deal, based on my test scores that I had taken at the Navy recruiter. The Navy taught me electronics, and later, as a civilian, I got some pretty good jobs because of my knowledge of electronics. And there are many other vocations taught in schools of the U.S. military. Or, you can go to Community College. Or, a four year college. I met a man through Full Gospel Businessman's Fellowship International. He had been an Engineer. But then things didn't go well between him and the employer that he had. So he started painting houses. People want to get their house painted every few years to protect the wood, and to keep the house looking attractive. It also helps to maintain the value of the house, should they decide to sell it. My friend said, "Whenever I get low on my finances, the Lord gives me another house to paint." His investment in equipment wasn't very much. You need some tarps. Some old clothes that you don't mind getting a little paint on. A ladder. I think he had a compact pickup truck, but you wouldn't necessarily have to have that to get started. You can put the paint on with brushes, or rollers, or spray the paint on. When I was in Colorado, I earned some money painting an apartment building. I'm not saying everyone should become a painter. I'm just saying there are alternatives to being a Salesman.